Special Olympian perseveres after blaze consumes belongings

The fire, much like a boxer on his last legs at the end of a title fight, wouldn't give up.

On that cold Lubbock evening Jan. 31, Brent, a 19-year old athlete who will compete in the Special Olympics World Games over the next two weeks in Raleigh, N.C., had his friend, Danny, spend the night.

''I smelled the smoke and started choking for air,'' Brent said. ''It was 3 a.m. in the morning, and I just looked and smoke was rising from under my bed all over the room.''

It was only a matter of minutes before the flames began to grow after finding the open bathroom window only a few feet away.

''From what I remember, Danny and I got up at the same time but he just got up and stood there,'' Brent said. ''Danny was really in shock. He didn't say anything and he couldn't help.''

Danny couldn't help because his eyes wouldn't let him. Danny is blind.

Brent led his friend into the hallway and went for the fire extinguisher in his room. It didn't work but, like a true athlete, Brent wouldn't give up. He ran into the room of his sister Brandi, who was spending the night at a friend's house. Her extinguisher didn't work, either.

Meanwhile John, Brent's father, had heard the commotion, opened his bedroom door and saw his son trying to battle the blaze.

''He yelled, 'Fire! Fire! Fire!,' and then I saw the smoke,'' John said. ''I told him to take Danny and get out.''

Brent led Danny outside where, dressed in just pajamas, they stood in the snow and freezing temperatures.

John called 911 and grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen. This one worked, but the fire gobbled up all the help the extinguisher had to offer. The firefighters saved the house but almost everything in Brent's room was destroyed.

''I was worried my dad wasn't going to come out,'' Brent said. ''It seemed like forever before he came outside. But he eventually did.''

While firefighters fought the blaze, Brent, John and Danny waited in the warm cab of the fire truck.

''The firefighters told us not to take anything from the house so we didn't,'' Brent said. ''We were allowed to go back a couple days later before they cleaned up the house.''

A professional cleaning crew was scheduled to come the next morning to haul away all the trash and, when Brent walked into what used to be his room, he found something in the ash and soot that the fire tried, but couldn't completely destroy.

''I picked one up and then another and, with the help of my sister, we picked up all of them that were left but the ribbon parts were a little burnt,'' Brent said.

Slightly discolored and charred, Brent had found the medals he had won from past Special Olympic events. They had been displayed proudly in his room, close to the fire's origin.

''I'm very proud of them,'' Brent said. ''They are like my trophy.''

Brent took the medals along with his yearbooks from Coronado High School, where he graduated in 1998 back to the hotel where the family was staying. The books had also been slightly burnt by the blaze. Brent sealed them in plastic bags so the smoke scent wouldn't permeate through the hotel, the family's home for the next three months.

Brent lost many things in the fire, such as the computer he was customizing with parts given to him for Christmas. All the electronics he loves were gone and so where most of his clothes, including the outfits he wore to compete in athletic events.

What wasn't gone, was Brent's attempt to persevere and other's ability to help him.

Lisa Westerfield, the area director for Special Olympics had heard about the fire and, at a local meeting, had asked Brent if he was going to participate in the upcoming local Special Olympics race. Brent said he couldn't because he didn't have the clothes to compete.

He had some by the morning of the race.

''When I look at him I see a great big heart,'' Westerfield said. ''He lost everything so I bought him a pair of shorts and shirt to be able to run. I wish others could have seen his face. He ran up to me, cried, and gave me a big hug.''

John said he appreciates all the help people like Lisa gave the family so they could get back on their feet. The family moved back into their house after it was remodeled and treated for smoke damage.

''But Lisa is just a wonderful human being,'' John said. ''If there's one thing our family learned, it's that we are thankful we have each other and the little arguments don't matter anymore.''

A humble person, Brent said he is not a hero, just lucky.

He says he is lucky to have the opportunity to attend the 1999 Special Olympics World Games in which 7,000 athletes will compete for fun and prizes, including medals.

It's a chance for Brent and others to meet people from around the country and the world. In preparation for his trip, Brent took the medals, once as shiny as his smile, to the local Special Olympics Office in Lubbock. They were being taken to the 1999 Special Olympic Summer World Games.

''I think they are going to fix them up and present them to him,'' John said. ''I'm not really sure what they are planning. They want it to be a surprise, I guess. ''

The games start today and continue through July 5, and Brent will compete in the 200-meter dash, the 100-meter dash and the shot put.